Careers In Associations
as published on dcjobnetwork.com
You can’t help but notice them. If you live
in the greater Washington DC area, they are everywhere.
Almost every block in DC has at least one. And in
the Old Town area they are taking over. You see them
in Arlington and in Bethesda. Tyson’s and Rockville.
There even is the American Society of Association
Executives and the Greater Washington Society of Association
Executives; both located in DC…associations for
association professionals! You see “the association
of”, “the association for”, “society
of”…but what are these and who do they employ?
Studies show that the association profession is one
of the top 4 employers in the greater DC area, behind
tourism and the government. But for many individuals,
unless you have lived in DC, New York or Chicago,
don’t even know that working for an association
is an option. I mean really, how many folks do you
hear saying “I want to be an association professional
when I grow up”?
Basically, associations represent a profession or
cause of “like minded-people”. Individuals
join associations for education, professional development,
getting the most up-to-date information, benefits,
networking opportunities and/or sharing common problems
and solutions with others.
Interesting point…most of us probably belong
to one association, if not more. Maybe it’s our
professional affiliation, maybe it’s because
we believe in the mission of the organization. Or
maybe it’s because we receive benefits from membership
that we might not be able to receive elsewhere. But
how many of us think about what associations do, needless
to say thinking about ever working for one.
Associations ARE and will continue to be a viable
option for job seekers and career changers. Many of
the senior executives in the association profession
today were career changers; some perhaps involved
in their association prior to become an employee.
And for many individuals employed by associations,
they have chosen associations because they wanted
to feel like they were making a difference, either
in society, their profession or in what is important
to their own passion and value system.
And just like finding a job in any profession, finding
a job in associations is no different. Looking to
find a job in an association? Here are some suggestions:
(and by the way, they do work…I did it myself!!)
1. Network, network, network! Critical to finding
an association job (and for that matter, any profession).
Get out and meet folks that are working for an association.
It doesn’t matter in the beginning the type,
location and what they do. Just get out and talk with
folks. Find out what they do, how they got started
(you won’t be the first to transition into associations).
Also find out what associations they belong to, where
they go for networking and meeting other association
professionals. Be sure to get the names of one or
two other people they have in their rolodex (or contact
list) for you to talk with. Again, meet folks that
are doing what you want to be doing.
3. Know your skills and what you have to offer an
association. Why should they hire you? What are your
marketable, transferable skills that make you the
best candidate? Know how your skills (for those that
might be career changers) translate to associations.
Don’t expect the hiring people to do the translation...you
do it! You show them that you do have the necessary
skills and experience, despite the fact that you may
not have worked for an association before.
6. Join an association! It’s a great way to
get to know folks that are doing what you want to
be doing. If you are interested in marketing, join
the Direct Marketing Association (local and/or national).
If you feel passionate about health care, look at
those organizations. Some associations offer a student,
unemployed or “non-professional” membership.
Get involved though…don’t just be a “check
book member”. Meet folks that are doing what
you want to be doing.
Numerous resources are available to the job seeker.
A brief list of some resources is listed below. This
will get you started in researching a profession that
I hope will be a prosperous, inspiring and worthwhile
profession for you to be associated. Go for it…
